


Can you feel my voice reach you?

by withinyourselfinstead



Category: A.C.E (Beat Interactive Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Eventual OT5, Inconsistent use of Korean honorifics, Loose song lyric translations, M/M, OT5, Polyamory, SKZ and ATZ as minor characters, music school
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:55:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28015839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/withinyourselfinstead/pseuds/withinyourselfinstead
Summary: Freshmen were like little tadpoles in a great ocean, and Chan was determined not to drown. His dream was to write songs and perform as an artist, and he would be given the best opportunity to do so if he could make it into the club where only the most talented, most popular, most attractive students made it in.OrThat music school AU featuring Kang Yuchan, 4.C.E as upperclassmen, and Stray Kids and ATEEZ as clubmembers. Chan's efforts to prove himself end up with him getting caught in a polyamorous love pentagon.
Relationships: Kang Yuchan | Chan/Kim Byeongkwan/Kim Sehyoon | Wow/Lee Donghun/Park Junhee | Jun
Comments: 11
Kudos: 18





	Can you feel my voice reach you?

Chan does his best to return the smile the kind-looking girl behind the desk gives him as she offers him a form to fill out.

“Please follow the instructions in filling out this form, then pick your audition time on this sheet here.”

He grips the pen hard, trying to will his shaking away so he can write legibly. _I can do this._ Though he considered himself to be an outgoing person, always willing to try new things, it had taken him immense willpower to enter the practice room that served as the Singing/Songwriting clubroom, where auditions for the club were to take place that weekend. 

Normally, Chan had little difficulty in meeting and befriending others, but he was determined to gain every social and academic edge he could as a scholarship student at the most prestigious music institution in the country. Though the other freshmen he had met were friendly enough, he could feel the anxious tenacity of the young student population as soon as he had stepped onto campus for the first time. Students endured a rigorous application and audition process to get in because an education here meant the best chance at making it big, whether it was in the classical or popular music industry. 

Freshmen were like little tadpoles in a great ocean, and Chan was determined not to drown. His dream was to write songs and perform as an artist, and he would be given the best opportunity to do so if he could make it into the club where only the most talented, most popular, most attractive students made it in, a select few signed by record labels every year, even before their graduation.

Chan paled when he saw the audition schedule, which was already more than half full of neatly printed names. He tried to come as early as he could following his classes after the announcement had been made that club signups would begin that morning, but it was apparently not what other students considered early. He blinked, trying to reassure himself that he already knew how competitive this was going to get, and that he was prepared.

Auditions were being held for eight hour days on both Saturday and Sunday that weekend in half hour time slots. He had already decided previously what time he would try to select - the very last audition spot open on Sunday. Chan knew other students were likely not going to risk picking such a late time - the club leaders who served as the audition judges would likely be exhausted and disinterested in the latecomers, possibly having already been impressed by the many faces that came before.

But Chan had faith in his charisma, and knew how to turn up the charm when needed. He was sure he knew how to brighten and liven up a room, and the original song he had worked on for the better half of a year was one he had confidence in. This would work in his favor - if only he could get a control on his nerves.

He wrote his name in the very last row next to 4:30 PM, followed by ‘original song’ to describe his performance piece, before flashing the student behind the desk a smile and walking determinedly out of the room. 

It was done. He had signed himself up for what would possibly be one of the most difficult trials of his young adult life that weekend. Until then, he would put his head down and grind away at the theoretical homework his professors would quickly pile on that second week of the school year. In the evenings, he would strum at his guitar and emphatically practice the song that had originated from his heart, the sound of music, recorded and live, a regular cacophony that resonated in the halls of the freshman dorms every night.

\---

Chan woke up early Sunday morning, lightheaded and panicky with the feeling of the weight of the whole world on his shoulders. His attempts at getting up and calming his breathing down were rewarded with dry heaves over the toilet followed by ten minutes above the sink, hands gripping the cold ceramic desperately as he breathed heavily and tried to recognize the young boy in the mirror.

A knock rapped on the door.

“You okay?” 

The voice of his roommate, Felix, reverberated through the door, deep and groggy. Chan called out an affirmation, reaching for his toothbrush. Freshening up and a few splashes of cold water on his face do a little bit to help calm his nerves.

Chan opened the door and gave a shy smile to his cute, smaller roommate who sat on his bed. Felix returned the smile through half-lidded eyes, still clearly waking up. 

“You’re gonna do great, Channie.” 

Chan can’t help but be envious of him - Felix had his audition the afternoon prior. He had returned to their dorm room that night a little downtrodden, saying he didn’t feel he had done very well. Chan had felt dispirited to hear that, but now all he could think about was racing through the day so he could join Felix on the other side of being done with the audition. Whatever happened would come to pass - he just never wanted to feel this fear and trepidation again.

Chan’s perception of time remained dysfunctional throughout the day, the minutes and hours seeming to take both longer and shorter. He made himself swallow down a bowl of rice porridge for breakfast in the cafeteria, but no more than that, not trusting his stomach to be able to digest through more than just a small, bland meal. 

He returned to his room to practice, Felix blessedly, generously giving him the privacy to do so, joining a few new friends that he had made in his own attempts to forget about the anxiety of his audition. 

After a quick run through of vocal scales, Chan proceeded to play through his song once or twice every half hour or so, to keep his throat and fingers warm and ready. It took most of his effort to stifle the rising insecurities about whether or not he should use mixed or falsetto voice for this part, whether or not he sounded sharp during the minor fall. He had done all he could, and he would not trip up over things that could not be changed this late.

Chan arrived at the practice building twenty minutes prior to his audition time, after having carefully tuned and placed his guitar into the carrier strapped on his back. He was glad for the residual warmth of the September afternoon helping him feel loose and ready. He waited just inside the building, far enough down the hall from the clubroom where he couldn’t hear the audition before his taking place, not wanting to intrude on someone else or have another’s performance to compare himself to. Bile rose in his throat, but he controlled his breathing as best he could, humming his song to himself.

The time finally came. He couldn’t help but jump at the sound of the door opening down the hall, the student before him exiting the room after their audition. He caught their eye and smiled, but the girl unexpectedly turned away to exit the building on the other side, clearly upset and not wanting to run into anybody. Chan sighed, but couldn’t help catching some of her perceived nerves. He made his way quickly down the hall, not wanting to waste anymore time.

Chan opened the practice room door and was greeted by the silence within, the insulating acoustics of the room making it more silent inside than out. After closing the door, he gave a polite bow to the row of older students seated before him in a semi-circle. There were seven upperclassmen in total, four girls that he recognized from the club’s social media posts, and three boys that he also recognized but had more closely followed in the weeks leading up to his audition.

These three were Bang Chan, Park Junhee, and Lee Donghun.

The first was regarded as up and coming, a promising underdog at their institution. In his first year, he had made an impact by incorporating rap into his original songs and performing hip hop vocal and dance covers, things that hadn’t previously been broached by the club. He had wanted to start a trend, of emphasizing the skills of an all-rounder - an artist who could sing, rap, and dance. 

There were those who criticized him for wanting to bring characteristics of “K-pop” to a club that was considered to be stylistically more traditional and formal, but the number of students that were impressed and enthused by the new trend far outweighed the dissenters. Clearly, his presence on the panel when he was only now just a sophomore was evidence that the other club leaders thought his style was important and wanted to encourage it in incoming students.

Chan had guessed this much after researching the hype Bang Chan had generated in the student populace. He hoped his performance wouldn’t earn him Bang Chan’s disfavor as he hadn’t prepared any rapping or dancing, instead choosing the basics he was most confident in.

Next was Park Junhee, a junior with a sharp face and stern eyes that made Chan’s knees weak. The vocal performances that he produced had made Chan’s jaw drop, and Chan had stayed up many a night watching his videos on the group’s social media. His style was different from Chan’s, but Chan had no doubt Junhee would make it big as a solo artist with his unique voice and powerful range. He was dressed in a simple, white button-up that draped delicately over his collarbones, and Chan couldn’t help but swallow at the sight. So stunning and perfect, it scared him.

The last in the lineup was Lee Donghun, a senior whose opinion probably weighed the most among the panel along with the other senior girls. He had earned his place early on, years before Chan’s time, with a voice like milk and honey. He also had a style different from Chan’s, though he thought they shared about the same vocal range. 

From gossip and social media posts, he knew Donghun to be a moralistic leader who cared just as much about student conduct as he did vocal talent. He was kind but stern, holding each incoming year to a high standard. Chan had the highest hopes of making a good impression on him, with a song that he felt matched the romantic, gallant heart of his senior.

Chan’s eyes quickly flashed over Donghun, whose tall frame was lost in an oversized knit sweater. It would have given the senior a soft look if it weren’t for the silver eyebrow piercing standing out in stark contrast to the rest of his appearance. Chan could scarcely believe he was finally in the presence, within touching distance of those he had idolized over the past year. He quickly shut down this train of thought, knowing he would freeze up if he thought about how starstruck he was. 

“Hello. My name is Kang Yuchan. I will be performing an original song, “Still Love”. 

He kept his introduction short, knowing the judges were only going to evaluate him on his performance. He gave a smile, an expression of ease coming naturally to his face despite the storm of butterflies inside him.

With that, he silently brought out his guitar, giving it a cursory tune up before clearing his throat and letting his eyes flutter shut. Breathing in, he played the first notes.

_My love is not over._

Chan opened his eyes to find the seven older students staring intently at him, already enraptured. He smiled, letting his voice wash over them. He felt his nervousness sap away as he felt the power of his allure carry through. He looked good. He sounded good. He could do this.

Following the audition, Chan trudged up the stairs to his floor, feeling exhausted and depleted. He _had_ done well, one of the female judges saying he had a talent and charm that she considered impressive among the freshmen. He couldn’t help but notice, though, that the two he had most hoped to hear give him praise, Junhee and Donghun, remained mostly silent. Donghun had smiled, telling him he did well while Junhee had only given a polite nod, writing something down almost absentmindedly in his notes. But he reminded himself again, what was done was done. 

Anxiety had drained him of all his energy and all he wanted to do was make his instant noodles, curl up, and watch a drama.

\---

The Monday of that third week of school crawled by at a snail’s pace. Chan could barely stay awake through the monotonous drone of his music theory professor’s voice, and came out of class with an essay assignment he couldn’t remember being told about. His pile of homework, charts, practice sheets, and schedules for mandatory concerts he would have to attend grew astoundingly fast, and Chan had to remind himself that this was the subject he actually _liked_ and had chosen to study.

His moderately sized chorale class was abuzz with talk of the upcoming audition results that were to be released that night. Chan could feel a headache coming on, and was pleased when Felix made his way over from the bass section (his vocal range delightfully much lower than Chan’s despite his smaller stature) after class and suggested they head down for an early dinner in an attempt to unwind. He was glad for how quick the close companionship of his roommate had developed, which made him feel less lost at sea in the crowd of equally anxious, already overworked freshmen. 

They munched away and chatted over dinner, comparing notes and frustrations over the classes they shared and doing their best to avoid the subject of audition results. After their meal, they went to find a relatively quiet spot in one of the common areas and held each other accountable for finishing one of the theory charts in an attempt to distract themselves and put a small-sized dent in their pile of homework. 

At 8 PM, an hour before the results were expected, Chan set his work down for the night and suggested they head back to their dorm. 

After a quick shower, Chan joined Felix on the carpeted floor, back against his bed frame. Unable to avoid the subject any longer, they browsed the club’s page and watched some of their favorite, awe-inspiring performances together, all of which they had both seen many times before. More than half of the men’s vocal arrangements included Lee Donghun and Park Junhee, who never failed to mesmerize Chan with their power and beauty and how good they sounded together

Felix pulled up a few of Bang Chan’s performances, commenting on how much he looked up to him despite being only one year his junior. Chan was impressed by his rapping and stage presence, wondering if he would ever be able to carry himself on a stage with the same dominant confidence. Not to mention Bang Chan had a decent singing voice. He could feel his heart rate steadily climb with each video.

After they had exhausted their favorites, Felix held the phone with trembling fingers against his knees as he continually refreshed the club’s feed, waiting for the results. 

Finally, at 9:01 PM, a new post appeared, Chan jolting closer as Felix hurriedly expanded the text.

They skimmed through the introduction, composed of typical remarks about how difficult the selection process had been considering everyone’s talent.

“This year, we have selected seven female students and six male students, all freshmen,” Felix read aloud. 

He squeezed his knees together, Chan instinctively grabbing one as they exchanged a look. Only thirteen of the 32 students who had auditioned had made it - less than half. 

Felix scrolled down.

‘Male students:  
Choi Jongho  
Han Jisung  
Hwang Hyunjin  
Kang Yuchan  
Kim Seungmin  
Yang Jeongin’

Chan gasped, his intake of air shaky and sharp. He turned to Felix, a flood of anxiety rushing through him.

“Felix - “

“Chan, you fucking made it.” 

Felix’s voice was equally unsteady, wavering, a tight smile crossing his face. The look he gave Chan was obviously pained, but awestruck. After a moment’s hesitation, their arms came up around each other. 

“You did it.” 

The breath at Chan’s neck came wet and warm, and Chan clutched tightly at Felix’s shoulders, the two rocking back and forth. He was happy, but Felix didn’t deserve this. He had worked just as hard and Chan could tell he was just as passionate as he was about music despite only knowing him for a few weeks.

“Felix, I’m so sorry.” 

Felix leaned back, wiping the tears at the corners of his eyes and smiled.

“No, it’s okay. Really, it’s okay. I’m really happy for you.” 

Chan gave a small smile and squeezed Felix’s hand.

They stayed like that for a few moments. Chan protested, but Felix assured him he would be okay, and they explored the public profiles of the students that had been accepted. Some had public videos of their own, and they both commented on the amazing talent of the freshmen at their school.

Felix excused himself, saying he wanted to take a walk outside to clear his head, alone. Chan sympathized, and took the opportunity to breathe and process his acceptance. He was heartbroken for Felix, but he could not let this opportunity go to waste.

Chan got ready for bed and laid down on his sheets, lost in thought. He wondered which of the judges he had impressed. Nerves steadily took over his excitement as he worried about the standards he would now have to meet. The only thing he knew for certain was that he was going to have to work harder than ever. 

Chan rechecked the newly posted meeting schedule for that week before turning off his lights, hoping Felix was okay and would come back soon.

\---

Tuesday passed in a blur, Chan doing his best to concentrate throughout his classes despite his growing anxiety. He inwardly cursed, realizing the auditions had only been the tip of the iceberg. He jostled his knees in anticipation, his mind wandering away from the classroom and to the practice building on the other end of campus where the club was to have their first meeting that night.

Chan was barely able to stomach lunch and decided on skipping dinner after his classes had finished for the day. He idly realized his nervous eating habits were probably why he had been losing weight since the start of the semester.

The club was supposed to meet at 7 PM, so Chan dropped his books off at 6 and made for the bathroom to freshen up. He straightened the tie of his uniform and removed his blazer, opting instead for the school sweater. He wondered if he should attempt at styling with hairspray before his nerves got the better of him and drove him out of the bathroom. He threw his keys and phone into his backpack and wondered where Felix was, hoping he was alright, before heading out the door into the evening.

Chan entered the brightly lit hall of the practice building’s first floor, and was surprised to hear the buzz of conversation filtering from the practice room. Swallowing down his hesitation, he headed inside.

The club room was a fairly large practice space, large enough to fit any of the school’s choirs, but it seemed jam-packed with fifty or so male and female students, many in smaller circles of conversation and friend groups. Chan couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed.

He realized almost all of the upperclassmen had opted for casual dress instead of their school uniform, and Chan felt a rush of heat in his cheeks. After glancing around, he noticed a few students in the back who looked like freshmen were also wearing their uniforms.

“Chan!” 

He turned his head, startled that anyone would recognize or talk to him.

“ … Felix?!” 

Chan’s jaw dropped, not understanding, but he willingly took Felix into his arms, the smaller boys’ flailing about.

“What happened? Are you in the club?!” 

“You’ll never believe it! Bang Chan messaged me and said they wanted to give me a second chance!”

“Bang Chan?! _The_ Bang Chan?!” 

Felix nodded excitedly, and Chan shook his friend’s shoulders in amazement and disbelief. He wrapped Felix back into another hug.

“I can’t believe this, I’m so happy for you!” 

Felix laughed, returning the embrace.

“Hello everyone, please find a seat!” 

A girl’s voice called out from the front of the room, prompting everyone’s attention.

“Please take a seat everyone!” she instructed again as students began to sit down among the rows of chairs. 

Felix gestured for Chan to follow him to the back row where the other freshmen had chosen to sit. He met the bright eyes of five other boys who shared small, excited smiles with him.

From the elevated back row, Chan could see the makeup of the entire club. It seemed that the oldest students were in front, an array of attractive faces, some of which he recognized from performance videos. Girls outnumbered the boys in the room, and Chan guessed there must have been at least thirty female students compared to about twenty male.

At the front stood seven students, three boys and four girls. They were the same judges who sat on the panel for the auditions except for one notable missing member - instead of Lee Donghun, who was sitting down in the front, a younger-looking male student dressed in a print shirt with intimidating eyes stood next to Bang Chan and Park Junhee.

“Welcome everyone to the first meeting of this year’s Singing/Songwriting club!” 

A round of applause and cheers followed, prompted by some of the more excitable older students. Chan glanced at a pale boy with a small frame and a mop of dyed blond hair who gave a loud cheer.

“Congratulations to the thirteen - “ she glanced at Bang Chan “ - er, fourteen who were selected in this year’s auditions. Your guys’ talent is some of the most impressive we’ve seen yet.”

Another round of applause as some of the freshmen boys turned to smile at Felix, Chan bumping his shoulder encouragingly. 

“As you may know, our club is divided into seven sections. We’ll go ahead and introduce our section leaders.” 

The four girls proceeded first. After each introduction, Chan noticed that a separate group of students among the crowd would cheer. Chan realized that these must be the upperclassmen who were members of each respective section. Chan noted that only girls cheered for the female leaders - so the club was divided by both gender and into smaller sections. This was in line with what he had guessed from their performance videos, few of which were co-ed.

Following the female students, Park Junhee took a step forward.

“My name is Park Junhee. As some of you may know, I will be replacing senior Lee Donghun as section leader this year.” 

He paused as a few students exchanged glances and murmurs. Chan’s brows raised. This was news to him. 

He had seen some humorous posts on the club’s social media page about how Donghun (referred to affectionately as ‘oppa’ in the posts) would be one of the club’s two male seniors that year. Prior to Bang Chan and his incoming class last year, it had been well known that the club was losing traction with the male student population, many of whom thought their chances in the solo artist industry were less favorable compared to that of female students. 

Considering the entire school population consisted of less than 2,000 students, the number of boys who had auditioned in Donghun’s year numbered only a few, and he had been only one of two boys who chose to stay until his senior year in the club. 

Chan wondered if Donghun’s waning influence and the hype the younger students had generated by branching out with new styles had to do with the change in section leader.

“I’m a third year and am looking forward to helping out all of you as a new leader. Please take care of me.” 

Junhee gave a polite bow of his head and a smattering of applause followed, the group obviously still reeling from the shocking news. Chan saw Donghun give Junhee a smile, unabashed and unbothered by the atmosphere of the room. Junhee did not return it, instead ducking his head.

Two other boys in the crowd, one of which was the pale blond that Chan had heard whoop earlier, clapped loudly and assuredly as well. Chan recognized them as the other two who were featured in a few of the videos with Junhee and Donghun. He wasn’t sure what year they were, but one thing was clear - if they were the only other two members of formerly-Donghun’s-now-Junhee’s section, the group was extremely small. The students that had graduated or prematurely left the club had clearly put a dent in numbers.

The boy in the print shirt with light brown hair stepped forward. His mullet hairstyle gave him a punk look that Chan couldn’t help but feel intimidated by. 

“Hello, my name is Kim Hongjoong - “ 

He was interrupted by six boys in a tight group near the front erupting into cheers and whistles. Hongjoong managed to scowl and smirk at the same time.

“I’m a second year. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to make it to the auditions, but I’m excited to see you new guys perform. Please come try out for my section - anybody can do better than these six fools over here,” Hongjoong said, pointing at the noisy group. 

A few giggles could be heard in the crowd, and the six boys huddled together broke into even louder cheering.

Chan tried to remember some of the videos that featured Hongjoong. He thought he remembered a powerful ballad, and definitely rapping. If he was also only a second year, it would make sense that he was a newly made section leader if he was one of the trendsetters along with Bang Chan. 

Bang Chan was the last to step forward, and he did so with a smile. Two boys in the crowd gave whoops and clapped, preemptively this time. Chan was stunned. This section must be only three people.

“Hey, my name is Bang Chan. I’m very grateful to have been made a section leader this year as a sophomore. Please try out for our group, it’s going to be a lot of fun.” 

With this last sentence, Bang Chan raised his head and directed his words at Felix, who smiled brightly and waved down at him.

Chan raised an eyebrow, looking between Bang Chan and Felix. He had no doubt that Felix had deserved a second chance, but he wondered what had changed the judges’ minds and if it had anything to do with Bang Chan.

The other judges applauded, and the rest of the group followed suit. The female section leader who had first spoken resumed.

“As you all have probably figured out, our club activities mostly take place within our seven smaller sections. We will have a couple club-wide activities throughout the year, but your section will be your tight-knit family from here on out. 

“Think carefully about whose group you might want to join. We don’t have any restrictions about boys and girls collaborating, but the club is arranged in this way so that your sunbae can give you the best guidance, and help you with whatever it is you want to do with your time here!

“We’re going to go ahead and split up boys and girls now so we can further explain the auditioning process for each section. We have a smaller studio directly across the hall, so if the boys could please proceed over there.”

With that, the male students rose and left their seats. Chan filed out of the room with the other freshmen boys, who were chattering amongst themselves. Chan wondered with a small pang of envy if they had already befriended each other. 

The smaller practice room was quickly filled out by the boys, the volume of Hongjoong’s large group much louder in the studio. Chan sat next to Felix again, and felt his heart begin to race in anticipation of what was to come next.

Junhee was the last to arrive, shutting the door behind him. He wasted no time in calling everyone to attention.

“Alright! Everyone, quiet down. Let’s have the freshmen introduce themselves to everyone.” 

A few of the older boys continued to exchange whispers, but settled down soon enough at Junhee’s instruction. Chan looked around, nervous.

“Yuchan, you can start. Make sure to tell us a little bit about yourself.” Chan jumped at his name before rising to his feet, giving a timid smile. He gave a short bow.

“Hello. My name is Kang Yuchan, and you can call me Chan. I’m originally from Jeju Island - “ 

He was interrupted by a few excited exclamations as the older boys turned to each other. He supposed this was typical enough of a reaction when he revealed his birthplace.

“I knew he had an accent,” he heard someone say, and Chan blushed. 

“My major is vocal studies with a minor in composition. My dream is to be a singer, whether solo or in a band. Um, thank you so much for this opportunity.” 

He bowed again and was met with polite clapping.

Bang Chan spoke up and Chan startled back in his seat..

“Hongjoong, this is the one I was telling you about. He has a really beautiful voice.” 

Chan felt heat flood into his cheeks as he smiled at the floor.

“Sorry guys, we already have our sights set on this one.” 

Everyone’s gaze shifted to the side of the room, where Donghun was leaning against the wall. Chan met his gaze, so surprised that he was unable to look away. After a few seconds, he realized in embarrassment he had been staring wide-eyed and open-mouthed at the senior, and looked back at the floor.

He couldn’t help the small smile that creeped over his lips. A senior had noticed him - not just anybody either, but Lee Donghun. 

Hongjoong and Bang Chan exchanged impressed looks. It was not everyday that Lee Donghun took personal interest in any of the club members.

The introductions from the other freshmen - Felix, Hyunjin, Jisung, Jeongin, Seungmin, and Jongho - proceeded. Following that, Junhee gestured for Bang Chan to continue for him.

“So, the audition process for the sections will work like this. Everyone will be performing a piece. I know you guys must have stressed a lot over auditioning for the club, but it won’t be as bad. We just want to hear and see you perform again now that you’ve met all of us and have had a chance to see what each section is like. 

“It also gives us another opportunity to decide which group you fit in with the most. You can either perform solo or with partners and you can choose to partner with another person who’s interested in the same group you are. It’s unlikely, but be prepared for the possibility that we may put you in a different section than the one you’re interested in. 

“You also don’t have to have a preference going into the audition if you just want us to pick where you go for you. Sound good?”

Despite the lengthy explanation, no one raised any questions. Bang Chan could tell the freshmen knew what was coming next, and were waiting in anticipation.

“So, to help give you an idea of what each section is like, we’ll each perform for you new guys now. I think Junhee’s group is going first?” 

Bang Chan sat down as Junhee nodded his affirmation. Donghun stepped forward to join him, and the two boys Chan had seen earlier, the pale blond and a broad boy with black hair, rose from their seats. To his excitement, Junhee sat down at the piano at the front of the room, and Chan held his breath. 

He realized they were about to play their signature song, the ballad that had reached him all the way in Jeju a year ago and made him set his sights on coming to school here.

Donghun’s lilting voice never failed to stun Chan into silence, and it did so again as he sang the opening lines. Chan felt like he could scarcely breathe, the seat falling out from under him and a numb thrill spreading from the top of his head down as Donghun held his gaze and sang the lyrics directly to Chan.

But of course, that couldn’t actually be what was happening - the faint smile on Donghun’s lips couldn’t be for him alone. Donghun eventually broke his gaze as Junhee took over, and Chan inhaled a shaky breath.

The only thing Chan understood with certainty was that he wanted to sing with this senior, who had the voice like milk and honey. He would do anything to be close to that greatness, doing what he loved. Donghun’s voice and the emotion it evoked in Chan reminded him of the joy music brought to him, and of the reason why he wanted to travel hundreds of miles for college. 

Much later, Chan would look back and realize this was the moment he had fallen in love.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading :) Please come talk to me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/wthnyrslfinstd).


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